Behind the Name: lilolaf's Personal Name List

Yukimura

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 雪村(Japanese Kanji) ゆきむら(Japanese Hiragana)

Pronounced: YOO-KYEE-MOO-RA

From Japanese 雪 (yuki) meaning "snow" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Yoshimura

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 吉村, 佳村(Japanese Kanji)

Pronounced: YO-SHEE-MOO-RA

From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "lucky, good" or 佳 (yoshi) meaning "beautiful, good, excellent" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Yamashita

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 山下(Japanese Kanji) やました(Japanese Hiragana)

Pronounced: YA-MA-SHEE-TA, YA-MASH-TA

From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 下 (shita) meaning "under, below".

Yamaha

Usage: Japanese (Rare)

Other Scripts: 山葉(Japanese Kanji)

This Japanese surname is more found in Brazil than Japan, because of Japanese immigrants who immigrated from Japan to Brazil. Notable bearer of this surname: Torakusu Yamaha (Japanese entrepreneur who was the founder of the Yamaha Corporation).

Yamaguchi

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 山口(Japanese Kanji) やまぐち(Japanese Hiragana)

Pronounced: YA-MA-GOO-CHEE

From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance". Olympic figure-skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi (1971-) bears this name.

Yamada

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 山田(Japanese Kanji) やまだ(Japanese Hiragana)

Pronounced: YA-MA-DA

From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Yagira

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 柳楽, etc.(Japanese Kanji)

Pronounced: YAH-GEE-ṘAH

From Japanese 柳 (yagi) meaning "willow" combined with 楽 (ra) meaning "music, comfort, ease".

Uchida

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 内田(Japanese Kanji)

Pronounced: OO-CHEE-DA

From Japanese 内 (uchi) meaning "inside" and 田 (ta) meaning "field".

Trần

Usage: Vietnamese

Pronounced: CHUN, TUNG

Vietnamese form of Chen, from Sino-Vietnamese 陳 (trần). This is the second most common surname in Vietnam.

Takemizu

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 竹水, etc.(Japanese Kanji)

Pronounced: TAH-KE-MEE-ZUU

From Japanese 竹 (take) meaning "bamboo" combined with 水 (mizu) meaning "water".

Shimizu

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 清水(Japanese Kanji) しみず(Japanese Hiragana)

Pronounced: SHEE-MEE-ZOO

From Japanese 清 (shi) meaning "clear, pure, clean" and 水 (mizu) meaning "water".

Sakamoto

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 坂本, 阪本(Japanese Kanji) さかもと(Japanese Hiragana)

Pronounced: SA-KA-MO-TO

From Japanese 坂 or 阪 (saka) meaning "slope" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Osako

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 大迫(Japanese Kanji)

Pronounced: O-SAH-KO

From Japanese 大 (o) meaning "big, large" combined with 迫 (sako) meaning "imperative".

Famous bearer of this surname is Japanese footballer Yuya Osako.

Nishimura

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 西村(Japanese Kanji) にしむら(Japanese Hiragana)

Pronounced: NYEE-SHEE-MOO-RA

From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Nguyễn

Usage: Vietnamese

Pronounced: NGWEEN(Vietnamese) NGWEENG(Vietnamese) WIN(English)

Vietnamese form of Ruan, from Sino-Vietnamese 阮 (nguyễn). This is the most common Vietnamese surname, accounting for over a third of the population.

Nguyen

Usage: Vietnamese

Pronounced: NGWEEN(Vietnamese) NGWEENG(Vietnamese) WIN(English)

Simplified variant of Nguyễn.

Mizutama

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 水玉, etc.(Japanese Kanji)

Pronounced: MEE-ZUU-TAH-MAH

From Japanese 水 (mizu) meaning "water" combined with 玉 (tama) meaning "jewel, ball". Other kanji combinations are possible.

As a word, in Japanese, Mizutama can mean "polka dot".

Miyaichi

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 宮一(Japanese Kanji)

Pronounced: MEE-YAH-EE-CHEE

From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "a shrine; a palace" and 一 (ichi) meaning "one".

A famous bearer of this surname is Ryo Miyaichi, a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a winger for FC St. Pauli in the 2. Bundesliga.

Minami

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 南(Japanese Kanji) みなみ(Japanese Hiragana)

Pronounced: MEE-NA-MEE

From Japanese 南 (minami) meaning "south".

Lê

Usage: Vietnamese

Pronounced: LEH, LAY

Vietnamese form of Li 2, from Sino-Vietnamese 黎 (lê). This is the third most common surname in Vietnam.

Koyama

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 小山(Japanese Kanji)

Pronounced: KO-YA-MA

From the Japanese 小 (ko) meaning "small" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain."

Konda

Usage: Japanese

Written with characters meaning ‘now’ and ‘rice paddy’, this version of the name is found mostly in eastern Japan. In western Japan it is pronounced Imata.

Kawano

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 川野, 河野(Japanese Kanji)

Pronounced: KAH-WAH-NOH

From the Japanese 川 or 河 (kawa or gawa) and 野 (no) "field," "area."

Isayama

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 諫山(Japanese Kanji)

A Japanese surname meaning "admonish mountain". A bearer of this surname is Hajime Isayama. He is a Japanese manga artist. (1986-)

Haruno

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 春野(Japanese Kanji)

Pronounced: HAH-ROO-NO

Means "spring field", from Japanese 春 (haru) "spring" and 野 (no) "field".

Fukui

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 福井(Japanese Kanji) ふくい(Japanese Hiragana)

Pronounced: FOO-KOO-EE

Denoted a person who was from Fukui prefecture in Japan.

Fujino

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 藤野(Japanese Kanji)

Pronounced: FOO-ZHEE-NO

From Japanese 藤 (fuji) meaning "wisteria" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Choe

Usage: Korean

Other Scripts: 최(Korean Hangul) 崔(Korean Hanja)

Pronounced: CHUU

Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 최 (see Choi).

Boldt

Usage: German

From the Germanic personal name Baldo, a short form of the various compound names with the first element bald ‘bold’.

Akashita

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 赤下, 丹下, etc.(Japanese Kanji)

Pronounced: AH-KAH-SHEE-TAH

From Japanese 赤 (aka) or 丹 (aka) both meaning "red" combined with 下 (shita) meaning "below, down, descend, give, low, inferior". Other kanji combinations are possible.